[antlr-interest] ANTLR Studio license issues

[Sebastian Mies]

Hi Prashant,

it's ok to sell software. So I don't really follow
this discussion anymore.

Another question:
It would be nice to have an evaluation copy of AS, rather than only
videos. Will there be one?
I know that it is difficult to publish a eval version in an java
environment since it can be easily cracked, decompiled or whatsoever..
Maybe a limited version with a little more features than the
antlreclipse plugin and a time limit would do it.

Any plans?

Sebastian.

PD> 1.)  Why isnt ANTLR Studio GPLed?

PD> Some people are saying that there is nothing in GPL that does not
PD> allow you to charge for your product.

PD> Yes, that is true, but it also says that you gotta distribute the
PD> source along for free.

PD> Now even a bonehead can conclude that if you can get the source code
PD> for free then you would rather just download it and compile it
PD> yourself than pay for the software. after all it takes only a minute
PD> to compile. So NO, get this clear, if your software is GPLd , it
PD> CANNOT be sold. Especially one like an IDE.

PD> That said some parts of ANTLR Studio do come under the Sun Public
PD> License and source will be provided with them. Specifically the
PD> AntlrStudio.Lexer_1.0.0.jar distributed with the beta is under SPL.
PD> You can download the source even now from netbeans site.

PD> 2.) Why dont i give the IDE for free and charge for services? Doesnt
PD> redhat use the same business model?

PD> There is a difference between providing support for an IDE and
PD> providing it for and Operating System.
PD> Also AS has from the begining been designed such that you can
PD> instantly start using it ful fledged without reading any manuals or
PD> requiring any support. If you watch the videos you will see it says -
PD> Time to learn ANTLR Studio - 0 minutes.

PD> So if you have used Eclipse before you should get started with using
PD> AS right away. There is nothing new to learn. No new keyboard
PD> shortcuts, etc. You dont need to modify your code for use with the
PD> debugger. Hell, you dont even need to press Ctrl+Space to auto
PD> complete!

PD> All the people who have got the beta version have been able to use
PD> without requiring any help from me ( aside from the bugs they
PD> encountered).

PD> 3.) Somebody said something like giving the software away with GPL
PD> allows the small guy to gain advantage in the market.

PD> I will correct you on this. Yes, it does so, but only when the the
PD> small guy is competing in a *large* market. The market for language
PD> tools is small, very small and i wont be surpised if ANTLR Studio soon
PD> becomes the leaading tool in the market.

PD> 4.) Some guys are saying that ANTLR should have been GPLed so that all
PD> tools for it would be GPL and that i am *selling* the work of Terence!

PD> This really is the craziest message i have got. NO, I am NOT selling
PD> Terence's work! ANTLR is still free and can be downloaded free of cost
PD> from antlr.org. ANTLR Studio has been designed from the ground up by
PD> me and me alone.

PD> The reason why ANTLR is not GPL is cause then every program that uses
PD> it would need to be GPLed and Terence certainly doesnt want that.

PD> I had a talk with Terence regarding ANTLR Studio going commercial and
PD> he told me that he was perfectly fine with it.

PD> PRASHANT